Beastly
by vixensheart
Summary: They find him alone, bruised and battered, deep within the Amazon Rainforest. They find him as the Beast, savage and ferocious, lunging at anything that moved. Worst of all, they can't find Raven. It's been three months since they first went missing, three months since everything went horribly wrong. A lot can happen in three months, and it's only uphill from here.
1. One

**One**

Rain splattered across the windshield, forming a thick sheet of water before the windshield wipers swept it away.

 _Thwump, thwump._

 _Thwump, thwump._

The rhythm of the windshield wipers accompanied the pitter patter of the rain to provide a sort of musical harmony in the silence of the T-ship, something the three Titans aboard were grateful of. After all, it provided a comforting blanket over their silence, making talking unnecessary.

Not that any of them _wanted_ to speak. Robin certainly didn't. He clung to the T-ship controls, his knuckles numb from how tightly he gripped them. He was sure if his gloves weren't on, they'd be white. But he didn't care. The controls kept his hands busy, and busy hands were less of a danger.

Down below the T-ship, a carpet of trees rose up from the earth, peeking out from the foggy cover that spread across the land. It wouldn't be long now. They'd be there soon.

Robin wasn't sure if that was a relief or not yet.

He supposed it was, in some sense of the term. The sooner they arrived, the sooner they could complete the mission, and the sooner things could return to normal. And damn, how much he wanted things to be normal again. He didn't dare look down at the buttons for the empty slots of the T-ship. He couldn't bear it.

"What if we don't find them?" Starfire asked, her voice shattering the silence like a baseball bat hitting a vase. Robin winced at the sudden ringing in his ears, the grimace remaining as he contemplated her question.

He sighed. "I don't know, Star. I don't know."

Cyborg's voice crackled in his ears next, determination pounding through the headset. "We'll find them. I promise."

Silence. An uneasy feeling settled on the ship, and Robin let out a shaky breath. Things had been tense as of late, but he couldn't blame the team. They'd all been tense. Uneasy. _Angry_. It was to be expected in an event such as this, and quite honestly, Robin was right there with them.

This shouldn't have happened.

But it did. And now, they had to deal with it.

They approached their approximate destination, and began initiating landing procedures. Robin watched dully as the rainforest reared up at them, the dense vegetation acting as a sort of barrier to the forest floor. The environment changed radically as they descended, and soon they found themselves among the gigantic foliage, where only the strongest of the sun's rays reached. Robin tore off his headset and unbuckled, joining Starfire and Cyborg as they exited the ship. In no time at all, the three of them had their minimal equipment ready, and Robin flipped open his communicator. With the push of a button, a hologram of the surrounding landscape lit up in the air, a blinking red dot indicating their exact location.

"Here we are," Robin said, jabbing at the dot, "and here's where we need to look." He traced a wide circle around their dot, encompassing a large chunk of the rainforest and Brazil. "Starfire, you head east. Cyborg, you go west. I'll head south."

The two Titans nodded, turning on their own communicators as Robin spoke. He watched them a moment, before glancing out at the forest around them. There was a lot of ground to cover, and very little time to do so.

"We meet back by nightfall. Report _immediately_ if you spot anything. Are we clear?"

He received a salute from Cyborg and a nod from Starfire, followed by a hesitant smile. Robin dipped his head in a nod, snapping his communicator shut. "Alright. Titans, move out."

 **~#~#~#~**

Everywhere Robin looked, there was green. Occasionally, there was a brilliant flash of color, but it was gone within seconds, a fleeting and rare sight it was. He could hear the chatter of animals all around him, accompanied by the rustling of leaves and the dripping of water. The rainforest was thrumming with life, an excellent background to his silent march.

He checked his communicator. No alerts. Robin sighed, stuffing the device back into his belt. They'd been at this for what felt like hours now, and Robin hadn't seen a damn thing yet.

Nothing.

Part of him wondered if this was just some wild goose chase, designed to throw them off, before he shook away those thoughts. No. Any lead was a lead at this point, even if it was rumors.

Something caught his foot, and the Boy Wonder yelped as he pitched forward, a broad leaf smacking him in the face. He managed to catch himself, only to get a bit tangled in some of the flora all around him. "Dammit," he hissed, batting at the leaves and stems.

He hated the forest. He hated it and its stupid leaves and never ending foliage, the never ending expanse of it that made him feel so…alone.

And Robin hated feeling alone.

Sure, he was a bit of a loner. He was raised by the caped crusader after all. But he hated actually being alone, as being alone meant being able to think, and Robin didn't like thinking.

At least, not when it came to his failings.

The whole reason for this excursion was his fault after all. If only he'd been a better leader. If only he'd trained them harder. Watched closer. Been faster.

Maybe then, this wouldn't have happened.

Robin muttered some curses, whacking away at some of the vines on his path. Damn everything. Damn it all.

It was then that Robin's communicator crackled to life, ringing its high pitched ring that echoed through the rainforest. He fumbled with his belt, yanking the device free and flipping it open.

"Hey, Robin?"

Robin looked down at the screen to see Cyborg's creased expression, his red eye gleaming in the low light. "Yeah?"

"I think I've got something."

Robin paused, the silence around him suddenly deafening. It seemed that even the forest held its breath, waiting anxiously for his response. He sighed, shifting in place. "Hang on, I'm on my way." Without waiting for a reply, the young detective snapped the device shut and slung it back into his belt, before loping off in Cyborg's direction.

 **~#~#~#~**

Robin stared at the scene before him. Stems and leaves laid broken in the earth, like fallen warriors in a mighty battle. Chunks of overturned earth piled around them, with no rhyme or reason to the chaos. Among the clumps of dirt lay massive lupine paw prints, distorted by what appeared to be impressions of massive claws.

Starfire entered his line of sight, her arm outstretched towards a wounded tree that was gouged with claw marks very similar to those scratched into the mud. "So, it is true," she murmured, her eyes wide. Robin nodded grimly.

"Yes. The Beast is here."

The three Titans stood in silence for a moment, their expressions grave as they surveyed the disaster before them. The rumors were true.

The Beast was here.

Robin wasn't sure if he was relieved or not. All he knew, was that he wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. He turned to Cyborg, his jaw set. "Do you have the tranquilizers?"

Cyborg held up an arm, patting the metallic casing with a smile that almost resembled a grimace. "Yep, it's all here." His arm dropped and he heaved a sigh. "All I need, is a clean shot."

Robin turned to stare into the depths of the forest once more, nodding absently. "All right," he said. "Let's go find him."

The three of them took off, following the trail of destruction deeper and deeper into the jungle.

 **~#~#~#~**

They were close.

There was no definitive proof to verify such a conclusion, but Robin didn't care. They were close. He could feel it.

The others felt it too. He could see it in the way Cyborg squared his shoulders, how Starfire's gaze flitted about nervously. With every step they took, they drew nearer and nearer to the Beast, and nearer and nearer to the end of their nightmare.

Robin wasn't even sure if he _wanted_ to think about how this would end. What he wanted wasn't possible; for this to have never came to be. And Robin had learned long ago, that he almost never got what he wanted.

A sudden crash forced the group to a halt. Robin turned to peer among the foliage around them, listening intently to the snapping of twigs. "This way," he said, gesturing to the right. The Titans crept through the undergrowth, heading directly towards the stomping.

Robin's heart hammered in his chest, and he tread across the earth like a cat stalking its prey. This was it.

They were about the find the Beast.

Behind him, Robin could hear Cyborg readying the tranquilizer. The mechanical clicking was almost comforting, like a shield against the rising tension within him. Starfire's warm hand brushed along his arm in quiet reassurance, and he tossed her a tight smile before diving deeper into the undergrowth.

 _Stomp._

Wait for it.

 _Stomp._

Easy.

 _Stomp._

Just another minute…

 ** _Stomp._**

"Titans, go!"

The three sprang from the foliage, weapons blazing, only for them to stumble into a very surprised Doom Patrol.

Robin clutched at his bird-a-rang, suddenly grateful he hadn't chucked it yet. "Stand down!" he barked. Starfire lowered her glowing fist, and Cyborg lowered his gun-arm. He turned to the Doom Patrol, his sheepishness leaking into his voice. "Erm, sorry about that. We weren't exactly expecting you guys."

Mento chuckled, shaking his head with a bemused smile. "It's alright there, Robin. We weren't expecting you either."

"What brings you all out here?" Elastagirl asked, her gentle smile doing nothing to calm the alarm coursing through the Titans. The three of them shared a look, uncertain of how to proceed.

"Oh, and where's the other two?" Robot Man asked with a chuckle. "Hiding somewhere?"

Robin chuckled nervously. "Something like that," he muttered. Confused expressions stared back at him, and Robin cursed internally. What should he say? There wasn't really a rulebook for this sort of situation, and there was a reason he'd put this off.

He'd hoped it would never come to this.

The Boy Wonder opened his mouth to explain, to break the terrible news, when by some saving grace, a vicious roar echoed through the forest.

The Beast.

"There it is," Mento said. "I told you it was close." He turned to the Titans, offering a tentative smile. "I guess I should invite you kids along. Unless you're busy, anyway."

Robin tilted his head. "You're chasing down the Beast?" The name had slipped his tongue too easily, and he resisted the urge to kick himself. Luckily, Mento didn't seem to notice, instead grimly nodding his head.

"Yeah, it's been causing some trouble with the locals. I'm assuming this has something to do with why you're here?"

It was an invitation to explain, Robin knew. He brushed it off though, simply nodding. "Yeah, it is." He gestured to his Titans, brushing past the Doom Patrol leader. "C'mon, let's go."

The ragtag group tramped through the rainforest, fighting their way through the undergrowth with a stubborn determination. The Doom Patrol made a few attempts at conversation, most likely to get a few answers, but the Titans remained firm.

Robin was sure none of them had any desire to talk. Not now.

Definitely not now.

Robin raised his bow staff, poised to whack more undergrowth out of the way, when a low, rumbling growl made him freeze. Slowly, the young detective turned his head, a gleam of brilliant green eyes peering from the leaves beside him meeting his gaze. Another feral growl rumbled from the creature, and it slowly reared up to reveal shaggy, green fur and massive, glittering fangs.

The Beast.

Robin stumbled back, whirling his bo staff at the monster. "Cyborg!" he shouted. "Now!"

But before Cyborg could get a shot, some unseen force barreled into the creature, sending him crashing backwards. Robin jerked his head to see Mento storming after the Beast, a wild grin on the man's face.

"After it!" he demanded. The Doom Patrol followed suit, tearing after the Beast. Robin growled angrily, leaping after them.

" _Shit,_ " he spat. "Stop them, before they hurt him!"

Starfire and Cyborg needed no further persuasion, as they followed Robin into the fray. He watched the pretty red-head take to the sky, blocking Negative Man from landing a hit on the Beast.

Robin turned to Cyborg, gritting his teeth. "Get any shot you can get!" he shouted. "Star and I will keep them back!"

Cyborg gave a terse nod, flicking his arm into gun mode. Robin left him then, diving in to stop Elastagirl from landing a hefty punch. She staggered to the side, a look of shock crossing her features. "Robin?" she said, her voice addled by confusion. "What're you-"

"Don't attack!" he barked. "Just stay back!"

She opened her mouth to retort back, her eyes narrowed accusingly, when a deafening roar interrupted their exchange. Robin glanced up the see the Beast barreling at them, froth spilling from his jaws as he lunged. He leapt to the side, rolling in the dirt as the monster sailed past him, only narrowly missing him.

Robin pounced back to his feet, charging after the creature. "Cyborg!" he screamed.

"I can't get a shot man!" the metallic man shouted. "Get the Patrol away from him!"

"Mento!" Robin yelled. "Stand down!"

The Doom Patrol leader didn't respond, instead shooting a barrage of his mental powers at the Beast. The attacks threw the monster back against a nearby tree, the Beast landing with a sickening crack. Robin growled, furious, and charged, barreling into Mento. The two rolled across the ground, only for Mento to toss Robin to the side while shouting a variety of curses.

"What the hell, Titan!" he shouted. Robin paid him no mind, choosing instead to bark his orders.

"Cyborg, now!"

There was a _pop_ and a roar. Robin watched in near awe as the Beast charged at Cyborg, only to falter and collapse in a heap at the feet of the cybernetic teen. He struggled to get up, bellowing angrily, before collapsing again, panting heavily. The Beast's eyes slid closed, and the sounds of bones popping and cracking filled the air as the Beast seemed to collapse in size, the fur and fangs disappearing as the creature reverted back to his true state; a human boy.

Robin ignored the Doom Patrol's utter shock and horror at the sight. His full attention was on his bruised and battered teammate that lay in a heap on the ground. He hauled himself to his feet, staggering over to Cyborg, who had scooped the green boy up in his arms.

"How is he?" he asked. Cyborg shrugged.

"Alive. Beyond that, I'd need to do a full examination before I can make a full prognosis."

Robin nodded. That made sense, but he still wished for answers.

"What _the hell_ is going on?" Mento shouted. Robin turned to the Doom Patrol, who stood together with confused and fearful expressions. He sighed and looked away.

"I'll explain later. Right now, Beast Boy needs medical attention."

Mento nodded stiffly, his face still red with anger. He jerked his head to the left, speaking with a tight voice.

"Our ship's closest. This way."

Wordlessly, the Titans followed.

 **~#~#~#~**

Robin's footsteps echoed noisily as he walked through the hallway of the ship, the clanking of the metal beneath his feet strangely comforting. The sight of the white med-bay door made him pick up his pace, his footsteps clipping louder.

"Robin."

Mento's voice dragged the Boy Wonder to a halt, and he turned to see Mento practically jogging to catch up. "May we…speak?"

Robin looked down at the floor, sighing. It had been a week or so since they'd found Beast Boy, and a week or so since Robin had sat down and explained the Beast fiasco to the Doom Patrol. They took it well, for the most part, with Negative Man even going as far as to joke that they should have known, given the green fur. Still, the group had seemed rather shell-shocked to learn of this event concerning Beast Boy, enough so that Robin hadn't had to go into detail as to why the Beast had shown up _this_ time.

Of course, Mento had been trying to extract an explanation since the beginning. Robin had to hand it to the guy though; he could read minds, yet he actually held enough respect for the Titans' privacy so as to not invade it. It was remarkable development for the man, Robin had to admit, and his respect for the Doom Patrol leader had grown quite a bit as a result.

Still, he wasn't very inclined to explain the failures of their latest mission, respect or not.

"Sorry, Mento, but I've gotta check on Beast Boy."

Mento shot him a glare. "Cyborg's with him. Isn't that enough?"

Robin glared right back, his gaze hardening behind his mask. " _I'd_ like to check on him as well, since I haven't seen him all morning." The unspoken refusal remained as such, as the two heroes stared each other down. Mento backed down, his shoulders slumping as he sighed.

"Fine. Just…tell me when he wakes up." He stiffly walked off, leaving Robin alone in the hallway once more.

Robin sighed again. "I will," he murmured quietly, before turning back to the ship's med-bay. He heaved another sigh and pushed his way inside.

A quiet, steady beeping greeted the young detective, providing rhythmic background noise that he found oddly comforting. Lights from the variety of machines painted the walls, giving off an eerie glow that seemed to enhance the shadows. And there, on the bed, was Beast Boy.

Robin's heart lurched at the sight. The younger boy was covered in tubes, wires, and bandages, making him appear smaller. His green skin was pale and sickly, with bruises and cuts adding heavy contrast. There was a gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, the sight of which was so relieving it was nearly dizzying.

"How is he?" he asked. Cyborg sighed, his clipboard clattering as he tossed it onto a nearby countertop.

"He's stable. Should wake up any time now."

"You said that yesterday."

"Yeah, and the day before that too." The Cybernetic teen paused, the dark circle under his human eye very prominent in the artificial light. "He needs time, Rob. You don't recover from something like _this_ overnight."

Cyborg was right. Beast Boy's condition when they found him was shocking at best. The boy was malnourished, so much so that Robin could count every rib in his side. There were open and scabbing wounds on almost every inch of his skin, some of which were filled with pus and puckered from infection and inflammation. Robin had seen his fair share of violence in his time as a superhero, but this…this was awful.

There was even evidence of broken bones that had healed wrong, to the point that Cyborg feared the changeling would need surgery. Not to mention the severe dehydration and poor hygiene. The first day had been spent carefully cleaning and dressing his wounds, and hooking up IVs and a feeding tube.

Robin took a deep breath, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. He said nothing, unable to really pull any words together. A gentle hand draped across his shoulder, and he glanced up to see Cyborg warm expression.

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself," he said. "He's here. He's safe. That's what matters."

Robin set his jaw, his brows furrowing. "Yeah, but we're still missing one." He dared not say her name, for fear of reality crashing into them both. Cyborg squeezed his shoulder, his gaze hardening.

"We'll find her."

Robin grunted. Of course they'd find her, he'd make sure of it. He just worried about _how_ they'd find her. And what state she'd be in when they did.

A small groan cut through Robin's thoughts, and his gaze jerked sharply to the bed. Beast Boy stirred, his thin frame shifting beneath the blankets. Robin stood there numbly, watching as Cyborg darted to the boy's side.

"Hey there, buddy," he murmured softly, leaning over the bed. Beast Boy blinked his eyes, lethargy and confusion muddying his expression.

"C-Cy?" he rasped, stumbling a little over his words. The shapeshifter glanced around in bafflement, panic slowly creasing across his face. "W-where am I? Raven? Where's Raven?" His voice cracking. Cyborg shot Robin a desperate look before attempting to soothe the changeling.

"Hey, Grass Stain, everything's alright, okay? Let's just relax-"

Beast Boy flinched away from Cyborg, struggling to climb out of the bed. "Get away! Where's Raven? I-I've gotta find her!"

Robin stumbled to the bed, gently pushing Beast Boy back. The boy flinched again, turning to snap at him. Robin pulled back, his brows furrowing in concern at the younger boy's growling as he cowered on the bed.

"Beast Boy," he murmured. "You're safe. It's me, Robin. You're friend."

Beast Boy stared, his eyes wide and terrified. He slowly looked between Robin and Cyborg, visibly shaking with fear. The sight made Robin clench his fists and vow to beat the shit out of whoever was responsible. No one, no one messed with his team like this.

No one hurt his family and got away with it.

"It's alright, Beast Boy, I promise," Cyborg said, his easy smile taught on his face. Robin could see the anger broiling in the mechanical teen's expression, and knew that he was thinking along the same lines; whoever did this, was going to pay and pay dearly.

But that wasn't important at the moment; right now, they had to care for Beast Boy.

"This is real?" Beast Boy asked quietly. Robin and Cyborg shared a baffled glance.

"Yeah, bud, it's real," Cyborg said. Beast Boy's gaze flickered between them, the mistrust in his expression painfully evident.

"Really? Prove it."

Cyborg grunted. "Okay. One time, you put itching powder in Robin's shampoo."

"Wait, what? That was you?" Robin squeaked. Cyborg ignored him, his gaze still firmly fixed on the changeling.

"You asked me to erase the footage of you going into his room, and I did."

" _What?_ " Robin asked. He remembered the itchy powder. And boy, did he wish he didn't. He was about to give Cyborg an earful, when Beast Boy let out a shaky sigh.

"I-it is real." Tears began to drip down the shapeshifter's face, quelling any anger in Robin's veins. His shoulders sagged at the sight, and he moved closer to Beast Boy's bedside.

"Hey, it's okay," he murmured. But Beast Boy didn't seem to hear him, instead sobbing wildly, his body shaking from the effort. Cyborg and Robin remained there, lending what little support they could. Eventually, Beast Boy calmed down enough to talk. Robin pulled up a chair and settled into it, taking a deep breath as he did so.

"Beast Boy, I need to ask some questions," he began, hesitating slightly at the shapeshifter's wide-eyed gaze. "I need to know what happened."

Beast Boy's brow furrowed, a deep from carving onto his face. "I-I don't know, it's all a blur." His hands darted up to his face and he trembled a little, from what, Robin knew not.

"I can't remember," he whimpered, his voice raising back to hysterics. "I don't know, I don't know, _I don't know_!"

Robin and Cyborg both jumped at his shout, sharing a concerned glance.

"Hey, B, it's okay, take it easy," Cyborg murmured. "There's no pressure here. We just wanna' get an idea of what's going on."

Beast Boy took a shaky breath, his gaze darting back and forth once more. "O-okay."

"Why don't we start from the top?" Robin suggested. "Maybe it'll help you remember."

The shapeshifter nodded, an inquisitive expression crossing his features. "Y-yeah, okay. From the top." He fell silent a moment, as if to collect his thoughts, before beginning.

"It all started when we first got the mission..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **So, here it is; Beastly. Hopefully it's worth the wait, lol. XD Anyway, I won't muddy the word count with my ramblings. I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Thanks!**

 **-vixensheart**


	2. Two

**Two**

" _Final lap!_ " the television sang. Beast Boy groaned, his fingers pounding at the controls. Sweat dripped down his brow, and his fangs rubbed painfully together as he grit his teeth. If he could just get his car to go a little faster...

"Come on, come on!" he urged fervently. He was perched on the very edge of his seat, his gaze locked with the television screen. The little green car swerved and sped through the pixilated track, racing against the clock to keep up with its blue opponent. Beast Boy pounded at the controls faster, only vaguely aware of Cyborg shifting beside him. Only a few more feet to go…

The blue car swerved to the side, smashing into Beast Boy's green racer and thrusting it into a tailspin. The shapeshifter leaped to his feet, turning to growl at his companion. "What? That's _totally_ cheating!"

Cyborg merely laughed, easily driving his car across the finish line. "No it ain't, B. It's part of the game." He shot Beast Boy a smirk, muttering a quick 'booyah' before tossing the controller to the side. Beast Boy let out a hiss and turned to the girl curled up on the couch.

"Raven, tell Cyborg that's cheating!"

Without even glancing up from the book clutched in her hands, she sighed. "I'm not getting involved," she dead-panned, casually flipping the page. Beast Boy huffed, his face creasing into a pout.

Dammit. This was _so_ not fair.

"Come on, B, it's just a game," Cyborg teased lazily. Beast Boy shot him a glare, decidedly still pouting.

"Yeah, of course _you_ say that, you cheater!"

Cyborg scoffed. "Fine then! If you're gonna' be like that, then why don't you just beat me?"

"I will!"

The two snatched up their controllers and re-booted up the game, their expressions set with determination.

"You're going down, B."

"Says you," Beast Boy snapped.

There was a rustle of pages from the other side of the couch, and Beast Boy heard the empath breath another sigh. "You two are ridiculous," she muttered. Beast Boy tossed her a glance.

"C'mon, Rae, it's fun!"

"It's Raven," she corrected, "and I highly doubt that."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. Typical. Still, despite his annoyance, he couldn't help but let his gaze linger on the empath. Her hood was down for once, and her purple hair shone a pretty shade of lavender in the sunlight that filtered through the windows.

"What?"

Beast Boy blinked. "Huh?"

Raven furrowed her brows, her inquisitive stare hardening. "You were staring."

"Oh."

Cyborg snickered from beside him, prompting Beast Boy to shoot his cybernetic friend a glare. The snickering stopped, but Beast Boy could still see a smirk plastered on his friend's face.

"Let's just start the game," he grumbled. The television flashed as the game booted up the start screen, and Beast Boy clutched the controller with anticipation. He was _so_ gonna beat Cyborg this time.

"Alright team, game time's up."

Beast Boy jerked his head to see Robin stalking into the ops room, closely followed by Starfire. His already present pout deepened, and he tossed his hands in the air. "Aw, dude, come on! I was about to beat Cyborg!"

The Titan in question scoffed. "You wish, B."

Robin held up a hand. "Enough, you two. We've got a mission." He pulled a remote from his belt and off went the game, the screen flashing to another setting. There, on full display, was their case file.

There was a picture of a place, of what appeared to be a church or temple. It was a crappy photo, but most case file photos were. Beast Boy wasn't sure why; taking pictures wasn't hard. But still, the photo quality sucked regardless.

"What's this?" Cyborg asked.

Robin sighed, his expression unreadable. "This is a sect of a cultist church called the Church of Blood."

Beast Boy immediately jerked his gaze to Raven, who sat stiffly in her place on the couch. Her face remained a mask of impassiveness, but he could smell the nervousness permeating off of her. After the Trigon incident, Raven had been freer about her past, and Beast Boy had learned a little bit about how Trigon seduced her mother, who had been a member of the Church of Blood itself.

He didn't know everything of course, but he knew enough to make him worried.

"So what," Cyborg said, "now we've gotta' deal with the crazies who wanna kill Trigon?

"I thought we had already beaten him," Starfire murmured, her voice ringing with confusion.

"We did," Robin said. "Thanks to Raven."

Beast Boy shot another glance at the empath, who was currently hiding beneath her hood. She scowled at his gaze, and shot Robin a bored look.

"Well? What do they want now?"

Robin pressed a button on a hand-held remote and the screen flashed to a rap sheet, fully displaying all the necessary information about the Church of Blood. Beast Boy leaned forward, quickly skimming the information. His brows furrowed at the sight.

There was a large number of girls and boys joining this cult, according to the reports. Many of which were minors. Worse yet, some of the people who joined disappeared, with no explanation other than "They left," being offered. The report goes on to state that no missing people's bodies have been found, leaving open the possibility of homicide a very plausible reality.

It certainly didn't help that this particular religion was known for human sacrifices.

Beast Boy shuddered at the thought.

"This is more of a recon mission," Robin said. "We're going to just go in, collect intel, and leave. No arrests, and no contact."

Cyborg scoffed. "Whaddya mean no arrests? We're just supposed to let these guys stay there? What if they really are killing people?"

Robin's face hardened, and he sighed. "That's not for us to decide."

"How so?" Raven asked.

"The League requested our assistance." Robin said tersely. "They don't have enough resources for a recon mission, and not enough evidence to make any arrests. That's our job; to get that evidence."

"And then what?" Cyborg said. "Let them take the credit?"

"It's their mission," Robin said. "Not ours."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes, grumbling along with Cyborg. While it was neat that the Justice League had requested their assistance- _them,_ the _Teen Titans_ ,-it was still rather annoying that they couldn't fully complete the mission. Especially with bad guys like these.

But, orders were orders, and Beast Boy wasn't about to fault his leader for obeying them. After all, this _was_ the League they were talking about.

They might as well take it easy for this one.

"Pack your bags," Robin said, "and be at the T-ship in twenty."

 **~#~#~#~**

Beast Boy yawned, tossing his arms up in the air as he stretched and relishing in the sensation of his muscles unknotting.

They were _finally_ in Seattle. Or, at least, near it. At the moment, the T-ship was parked somewhere out in the dense forest, surrounded by massive Redwood and Sequoia trees. Not that Beast Boy minded; he actually rather liked being in the forest. It was so…thrilling. Every breath brought new smells, every turn more sounds, and every step more adventure. He loved the woods. He always had; it was one of the few things that he could remember from _before_ the Sakutia.

"You _really_ like the forest, don't you?" Raven asked. Her voice was low and evenly pitched, though Beast Boy could detect a hint of sarcasm coloring the edges. He shot her a grin and chuckled.

"Yeah, it's nice out here." He wanted to say more, but the thoughts wouldn't come, and any conversation was soon halted by Robin's authoritative tone.

"Alright, guys, let's have a look around. We need to canvas the area, make ourselves familiar with it." He paused, glancing down at his communicator. "Cyborg, stay near the T-ship. I don't want anyone finding out we're here. Raven, you go with Beast Boy. Starfire, you're with me."

The two groups split off, with Beast Boy and Raven heading north, and Robin and Starfire heading south. Beast Boy took remained on foot, while Raven took to the air. It was basic procedure here; someone covered to air and someone covered the ground. And so it was that Beast Boy trotted across the forest floor, currently in the shape of a fox in an attempt to blend in.

Well, as best as a green Red Fox could, anyway.

His nose twitched almost constantly at the barrage of smells rising from the forest. Mice, voles, and other mouthwatering critters scampered to safety as he trotted past, their instincts going haywire at the sight and smell of a predator. Not that Beast Boy would ever eat them; he was a vegetarian after all. Still, even he couldn't deny how tempting it was to chase them down and sink his jaws into their warm flesh…

Beast Boy growled and shook his head. _Damn fox instincts_ , he thought. _Always thinking about food._ He swiveled his ears and twitched his nose, trying to filter out any unusual sounds or smells. Of course, there was nothing out of the ordinary to be found, and the green fox continued his foray through the forest aimlessly.

 ** _Stay where you are, I'm coming down._**

The sudden voice in his mind caught beast Boy by surprise, and he yelped and jumped up in the air, the fur on his pelt standing on end. Dammit. Dammit, dammit, _dammit_! With a shiver, he transformed back into his human shape, his hands still trembling slightly.

He hated it when Raven did that.

There wasn't really a reason for it, as her thought projection was actually a pretty cool power. It was just the sudden invasion of his head got to him a little. Maybe it was just a side-effect of being raised by a mind reader, but Beast Boy really hated it when psychics got into his head.

His head was his one private place, the one thing he could keep to himself. Whenever it was invaded, it just felt…wrong.

A black puddle pooled in front of him, sending goosebumps dancing across his skin. The black puddle condensed and morphed into the shape of a humanoid, Raven's sweet lilac scent wafting into Beast Boy's nose.

In a flourish, the black energy dripped away, leaving behind a slightly irritated Raven. "Find anything?" she asked, her level monotone loud compared to the quite stirrings of the forest.

Beast Boy sighed. "Nope, not a thing."

"Hmm."

It was then that Raven's communicator sparked to life, its static ringtone blaring in Beast Boy's ears. She produced the yellow device from beneath her cloak and flipped it open, her stoic gaze locked on the little screen. "Yes?"

"What's the verdict?" Robin asked, his voice fuzzy.

"Nothing here."

"Okay. Go ahead and report back to base." The communicator clicked off immediately, leaving the two alone with the silence.

"So…" Beast Boy said. "Are we teleporting back? Or just walking?"

Raven shot him a look. "Walking." She turned and struck off due south, her cloak billowing out behind her. Beast Boy couldn't help but roll his eyes before hurrying to catch up.

 **~#~#~#~**

"Here," Cyborg said. He dropped the pair of rings in Beast Boy's gloved hand. "Try 'em out, I need to see if they fit."

Beast Boy stared at the metal loops with wide eyes, gulping nervously. He slowly peeled his gloves off and slid them on one by one, watching with slight horror as his green arms instantly turned pale pink, like normal human flesh.

He hated it.

Sure, there were times that Beast Boy wished he was normal. Like when he got odd looks at the grocery store, or when the tabloids fawned over Robin and Cyborg but not him. But he'd long ago reconciled his greenness to himself, as he could barely remember what normal was even like. Plus, he always had people around him who didn't care about the green skin, so why should he?

So it was rather unnerving to see normal hands in place of green ones.

It had been decided that he and Raven would be the ones to infiltrate the city. Robin wanted them to have as much invisibility as possible, so as to not scare off the cultists. And was easier to hide a pair in plain sight than a group of five.

Of course, he was chosen due to his superhuman senses, and Raven due to her empathy. Together, Robin reasoned, they would have higher chances of uncovering more information. The remaining three Titans were going to remain in the woods at their makeshift base, from which they could maintain contact with Beast Boy and Raven.

Truthfully, Beast Boy wasn't sure how he felt about this.

He had to basically live with Raven. Which he already was, but that was different. Now, they were going to be alone. Okay, so maybe that wasn't all bad; after all, he and Raven _were_ friends! They just…had a weird dynamic. And now Beast Boy was going to be around her twenty-four-seven and he wasn't sure if he could handle that.

What if he made a fool of himself?

 _What if he told her he thought she was pretty?_

His ears turned hot and he shook his head. Where did _that_ thought come from?

"Damn, B, I didn't know you had blonde hair!"

Cyborg's voice brought Beast Boy back to the present. He shot the cybernetic teen a baffled look, only to see his friend gawking at him.

"Um, yeah?"

Cyborg shook his head. "I'm just so used to the green, man."

"Yeah…me too." He shrugged awkwardly, trying not to stare at his hands. The two fell silent a moment, before Cyborg shook off his awed demeanor.

"Well, c'mon, B."

Beast Boy followed Cyborg out of the ship, where he was met with Starfire and Robin chatting idly over the Boy Wonder's makeshift desk and recon equipment. Upon seeing him, they both did a double take.

"Why, Beast Boy! You look quite the handsome!" Starfire cooed, bouncing gracefully through the air to scoop him up. She proceeded to poke and prod at him, oohing and aahing at his new appearance, making Beast Boy blush.

"I did not know you had the 'blonde hair'," she said. Beast Boy pried himself free and huffed.

"Yeah, no one did."

It was then that the smell of lilacs permeated the air, and Beast Boy turned to see Raven stalking towards them. Her face was drawn up in a scowl, and Beast Boy could see why; a frizzy, black wig was set haphazardly on her head, with bangs that hid her chakra and nearly hung in her eyes. Speaking of which, her eyes were now blue, presumably thanks to a pair of contacts.

She certainly looked good, but Beast Boy preferred the _real_ Raven, absurd purple eyes and all.

Raven stopped up short, her gaze locking with his. A shocked expression flitted across her features, before they settled back into her usual mask of mild annoyance. Still, Beast Boy could hear heart heart's quickened pace and smell the shift in her chemical makeup, indicating his appearance surprised her as much as it did everyone else. He wasn't sure if he was glad for her apparent indifference or not though.

Only time would tell, he supposed.

"Okay guys," Robin said. "Cyborg made some earpieces for you."

"Here." Cyborg handed the devices to them one by one. "They're blue tooth; they hook up to you're communicators and let you hear and talk to us without having to whip 'em out. They let us hear and record everything you hear too, so if you stumble on any crooks, we'll catch 'em."

"The only time you shouldn't wear them, is when you're sleeping," Robin said. "You two are our eyes and ears, and I expect you'll behave accordingly."

Beast Boy bit back a groan and dipped his head in a nod. The earpiece was definitely going to be annoying. He fiddled with it, awkwardly shoving it in place and grumbling at how _muted_ everything seemed with it in. Raven didn't seem much happier, but she too put the earpiece in, albeit with much less complaint.

"Here's the address to the motel you'll be staying at." Robin held out a sheet of paper, lined with carefully typed addresses on it. "It also has some possible hotspots you two need to check out." He paused, taking a long glance at them both. "Be sure to check in with me when you get to the motel."

And just like that, they were dismissed.

 **~#~#~#~**

Beast Boy stumbled through the streets of Seattle behind Raven. His head spun a little, making him dizzy. Of course, he always got dizzy after teleporting; the empath's mystical travelling power was incredibly disorienting. He wasn't sure why, it just was.

"Where are we going?" he asked, clutching at his head. Raven paused, letting out a sigh at the sight of him. She brushed a hand against his forehead and muttered her mantra, his dizziness dissipating almost immediately.

"There's a motel on the outskirts of the city," she said. "That's where we're staying."

Beast Boy merely grunted, falling in step behind her once more. The unfortunate thing about Raven's powers, was that unless she knew exactly where they were going and can visualize the location, she couldn't quite get them there. She could get them within a certain mile radius, but not always exactly at the desired location. Thus, the two of them were doomed to walk.

Not that Beast Boy minded walking. But he was already tired from their long day of travel and scouting, and all of this walking was making his limbs feel leaden. He couldn't wait to get to the motel and just flop down onto his bed. And maybe eat. And sleep. Yes, definitely sleep. Beast Boy felt that he could almost sleep for the next week, with how tired he was starting to feel. The changeling stifled a yawn, blinking against the low sunlight.

"How much farther?" he asked.

"A mile."

"Damn."

They settled back into their usual silence, and Beast Boy found himself staring. Her violet hair swayed as she walked, appearing more of a reddish plum in the evening light. Beast Boy liked her hair; it was different, like his. And yet, she merely had to wash it for it to look pretty, something Beast Boy couldn't help but appreciate. He liked the simplicity of Raven's style, and her hair reflected that.

He'd been so busy staring at the empath's hair, he hadn't realized she'd stopped and nearly ran into her as a result. Beast Boy fumbled to a stop, letting out an awkward chuckle and earning an impassive glance from Raven.

"We're here," she said.

They stood out in the very outskirts of the city, where the smaller scale businesses and low-cost housing was situated. The motel was across the street from a run down gas station, complete with grass sprouting from the cracks in the pavement. The motel itself wasn't in much better shape; the exterior siding was yellowed with age and the roadside sign was riddled with rust and holes.

Beast Boy scrunched his nose with distaste. "Dude, really? We're staying _here_?"

Raven looked back down at the paper in her hand. "It appears so," she drawled, though Beast Boy could hear a hint of dread in her voice. Good. She hated the sight of it too. At least they agreed on that. Granted, Raven never said such notions aloud, but Beast Boy knew her well enough to glean her thoughts. And given by how her lips were twitching, she was just as disappointed as he was.

"Let's get this over with," she muttered. They trudged forward, clutching at their bags as they crossed the street.

The inside of the motel was just as disappointing as the outside. Their feet stomped onto a tired, threadbare beige carpet, and bland white walls with peeling paint welcomed them into the lobby. A balding wrinkled man as tired and dusty as the room sat at the front desk, a dented bell sitting lopsided beside him.

"Hi, welcome to Seattle's finest motel," he droned without even glancing up from the magazine propped up in his hand. Beast Boy snorted and leaned close to Raven.

"Gee, this place is a real winner."

She shot him a look, but her quivering lips betrayed her amusement.

Score.

"We have a reservation," Raven said. The clerk sighed heavily and looked at them with beady eyes.

"What's the name?"

"Roth, Rachael."

The clerk grunted, shuffling through the array of greasy papers in and around the desk. Beast Boy eyed the scene with distaste. This place sucked.

After an awkward minute of waiting, the clerk produced whatever reservation list the motel owned, and he scrutinized it quickly and nodded. "M'kay. Rachael Roth, queen sized bed. Room three-oh-two."

Beast Boy blinked and looked at Raven. Queen sized bed?

"Uh, dude, did you just say a _queen_ sized bed?"

The clerk gave him a blank look. "Yessir."

Raven sighed. "I believe there's been a mistake. There should be two beds."

The clerk's already blank look turned even blanker, resembling a block of stone. "No, ma'am," he said, "the reservation was for a room with a queen."

Beast Boy and Raven shared a look. Great. This was just...great.

"Just give us the keys, please," Raven said, her voice trembling with annoyance. The clerk mumbled something, his face still stone, and he shuffled around some more before plonking a set of keys down onto the desk. Raven swiped them, scooped up her bags, and stomped off towards their room. Beast Boy hurriedly followed her, shooting one last glance at the clerk.

The man stared after them with glassy eyes before returning to his magazine, making Beast Boy shake his head.

What great service they had. Not.

The room was down at the end of a dimly lit hallway that reeked of cigarette smoke. Beast Boy bit back the urge to gag. This place was just getting better and better. It was even complete with dingy carpets and flickering lights. How quaint.

Beast Boy watched as Raven jabbed the key into the lock and twisted it, unlocking the door with a yank. They stumbled inside and flicked on the lights, only to pause in dismay.

"Well, this sucks."

Raven grunted in what Beast Boy could only assume was agreement. After all, this was...well, it wasn't great. Walls that were once white now had a pallid yellow-tan color, beige carpets with questionable stains covered the floor. There was a grimy mirror tacked over the bed, and a battered wardrobe sitting along the wall.

The bed was the only other furniture in the room, and it too matched the run down theme of the motel. Beast Boy shivered at the sight of the duvet, already apprehensive of the old scratchy sheets.

Beast Boy and Raven shared another look.

Well, this mission was off to a great start.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey folks! Here's chapter two, finally. Sorry for the wait, life has been crazy! I know it's a little slower than chapter one, but that's 'cuz we've gone back in time a bit. Don't worry, things will pick up soon. ;) So don't get too comfy, lol.**

 **Thanks for the support guys!**

 **-vixensheart**


	3. Three

**Three**

Beast Boy sighed.

He sat on a roof of some building that he'd forgotten the name to hours ago, staring dully out at the busy intersection in front of him. He was so tired that his whole body was numb. It felt almost like he was suspended between realities; that this was some dreamworld and that nothing was real at the moment. Beast Boy had been out and about all day, walking the streets and chatting with locals until it felt like his jaw was going to fall off.

So yeah, he was tired.

It didn't help that he had barely slept last night. After he and Raven had settled their stuff into their motel room, the ever awkward bedtime rituals had begun, and neither of them had known what to do with themselves. They both just sort of stared at each other before Raven snagged some nightclothes and darted to to bathroom, muttering something about changing. Beast Boy had taken the opportunity to strip down himself, only to blank at what to wear.

Should he wear boxers? No, that was bad. Shorts? Would it be okay to go without a shirt? Where was he going to sleep? The bed? Or should he offer to sleep on the floor? That was the gentlemanly thing to do, right? His gaze dropped the the grungy floor, and his face scrunched up in distaste. Ew. He supposed he could shapeshift, but that meant wearing his uniform to bed, and that just wasn't comfy. And since he was with Raven, going naked wasn't an option.

His face heated up at the thought, and he shook his head. Shorts it was then.

Beast Boy had quickly slipped into his shorts, just in the nick of time before Raven slipped out of the bathroom.

"Hey, Rae, do you want me to sleep on the floor, or..." he trailed off, his eyes widening as he took in her appearance. _Oh, shit,_ he thought. The empath in question had clothed herself in these little cotton shorts that were pretty dang short, and a strappy little flimsy black tanktop.

Perfect for bedtime. Not so perfect for avoiding any...risque thoughts.

They stared at each other for a beat. Beast Boy's face felt hot, and he couldn't for the life of him tear his gaze away. It was only when Raven cleared her throat that he was able to shake himself and meet her gaze.

"That will be...unnecessary." She paused, throwing a disdain look at the floor. "After all, we both need to be fully rested for tomorrow." Her logic was impeccable, Beast Boy had to admit, but it did nothing to quell the nervous air that had settled over him. He watched as Raven slowly peeled back the bed covers and climbed into bed, her face contorting into a wince at what Beast Boy could only assume was the scratchy sheets.

"Are you coming?"

Beast Boy blinked. "Erm, y-yeah." He forced himself into motion, stumbling over to the bed and fumbling to crawl under the covers. The heat that had flooded his face only intensified, and Beast Boy remained as far over as he could without falling off the bed. He was unsure of how to act in this situation. Should he lie on his back? Side? Should he face her, or would that be weird? Beast Boy risked a glance at the empath. She was studiously avoiding his gaze, instead having pulled out a book to read.

Back it was, then.

Beast Boy stared up at the ceiling, laying as stiff as a board. He spent most of the night like that, lying awake, to afraid to move lest he disturb Raven. That, and he was also rather fearful of how his body tingled whenever he brushed her arm or leg.

He totally didn't want to fantasize about how smooth her skin was.

Totally.

Beast Boy sighed. Okay, maybe he did. A little. Just a little.

He had no clue how he was going to survive this mission.

The hairs on his neck and arms stood up on end, and he shivered as goosebumps bloomed upon his skin. A swirl of black energy appeared beside him, slowly taking the shape of Raven. Her hood cast a shadow in her face, but Beast Boy could still see the gleam of her violet eyes as she peered at him.

"Anything?" she asked. Beast Boy shook his head.

"Nope, nothing."

Raven hummed in response, her expression impassive. Beast Boy bit his lip and forced himself to scan the intersection for anything suspicious. Or, at least, try to. It was a little difficult with the empath standing beside him, her lilac scent filling every breath he took.

" _Robin to Raven, anything to report? Over."_

Beast Boy winced at the crackle of Robin's voice in his ear and rolled his eyes. He hated the earpiece; it was ridiculously irritating. Not to mention how _loud_ Robin's voice was when he spoke.

"No," Raven said, "nothing so far. We've checked some of the nearby hotspots, but so far there's nothing. Over."

" _Okay, well keep looking. Report back if you hear anything suspicious. Over."_

"We know. Over and out."

A low growl rumbled from Beast Boy's stomach, and he smiled sheepishly. "So, any chance we can get some lunch?"

Raven nodded, the faint traces of a smile tugging at her lips. "Sure. I saw a diner down the way that seemed nice."

"Sweet," Beast Boy said. He hopped to his feet, balancing on the edge of the roof. "Last one there gets to pay!" he quipped, before tipping forward into a free fall. The wind whipped at his face and he laughed, the giddy feeling of adrenaline warming his body. The shapeshifter waited until the ground was only a few yards away before melting into the shape of a bird and winging off at top speed towards the diner.

 **~#~#~#~**

The diner was even farther out of the hustle and bustle of the city, about a couple of miles or so out into the sprawling mix of residential and business locations outside of the main city. It was a quaint little place, with aged brick and a blanket of vines making up the exterior. Beast Boy strode happily inside, only to deflate at the sight of him empathic companion waiting with a bored expression stamped across her face.

"What? How'd you beat me?" he exclaimed. Raven shot him a bemused look.

"I can teleport. "

Beast Boy huffed. "Cheater," he grumbled. Raven merely rolled her eyes.

"Are we eating or not?"

He stuck his tongue out childishly, earning a snort, and stalked off towards the dining area. There was no host or hostess in sight, indicating this establishment was a 'seat yourself' type of deal. Beast Boy chose a booth by the window, scanning the restaurant as he settled into his seat. The quaint atmosphere carried into the diner; the walls were a combination of exposed brick and aged wooden panels. Retro clocks and an assortment of artwork made up the decor, and a combination of booths and tables littered the main floor. There was a stone fireplace dominating the far corner of the space, though no fire burned today.

Raven perched on the seat across from him, her pretty gaze directed out the window. Beast Boy once again found himself drawn in to her appearance, his face growing hot from the myriad of thoughts dancing across his mind.

"Hello!" The sudden voice made Beast Boy jump, and he jerked his head to the source. A smiling waitress stood at attention beside their booth, pen and pad in hand and at the ready. "My name's Nancy, I'll be your server today. What can I getcha started to drink?"

"Water, please," Raven said. Beast Boy smiled.

"I'll have a water too."

"Alright! I'll get that right in," Nancy chirped. She quickly scribbled their drinks down and flounced back towards the kitchen doors. Beast Boy turned back to Raven, who was scanning the menus Nancy had dropped at their table.

"Watcha gonna get?"

Raven shrugged. "I'm not sure. The salad looks good."

Beast Boy stared. "Salad? Really?"

"You're a vegetarian. You live off of salad."

The shapeshifter snorted, snatching a menu. "No I don't! Yeah, sure, salad's great and all, but we're at a _diner_ with home-styled food! Why would I want a _salad_?" He could practically _feel_ Raven rolling her eyes at him, but Beast Boy didn't care. He could smell a hint of amusement rolling off of her, diminished as it was beneath the layers of enticing food smells that littered the diner.

"Well, then. What are you going to get, mister too-good-for-salad?"

Beast Boy hummed absently as he scanned the menu. "I dunno." There were many delicious looking dishes, but not a whole lot that looked vegetarian friendly. Well, aside from the breakfast menu. Which it seemed he'd be stuck with eating, since there was no way Beast Boy was eating salad now.

He did value some of his pride, after all.

"The pancake platter looks good. It even comes with hashbrowns."

There was a snort from across the table. Beast Boy looked up from his menu only to be met with Raven's unabashed giggling. "Really?" she said. "Breakfast for lunch?" Her giggles were infectious, and Beast Boy couldn't keep himself from grinning.

"Psh, yeah! Who said breakfast was only once a day?"

The empath shook her head and shrugged. "No one I guess."

They fell quiet, both entertaining themselves by staring out the window. Beast Boy snuck glances at the empath every now and again, admiring the way the light made her ceramic skin almost glow. He found himself wondering if her skin was as smooth as it looked. Would it be soft and cool, like marble? His hand twitched and he looked out the window again, biting his lip hard.

He really shouldn't think things like that. Not with Raven's empathic powers able to basically pick apart his feelings.

And yet, he couldn't help it.

Beast Boy's focus was shattered at the sound of clinking glassware, and he turned his attention to the full water glasses that Nancy had just set down.

"Here's you're drinks!" Nancy quipped. "So, have we decided what we're getting to eat?"

"I believe so," Raven said. Her gaze dropped to her menu, and Beast Boy watched as she tucked a few strands of her wig behind her ear. "I will have the pasta salad, please." She pointed to the menu as she spoke, her voice clipped but polite. He could hear Nancy's pen scratching away at the pad as she wrote. Nancy's writing was almost aggressive, as her pen scribbling grated on Beast Boy's ears, but he figured she simply wanted to write quickly.

"And you, dear?"

"Uh, I'll get the pancake platter, please!" he chirped. Nancy nodded, scribbling his order down.

"Alright, kids, let me get this in and your food will be right out." She beamed at them before strutting off again, disappearing into the kitchen.

"Well, she's a character," Beast Boy joked. Raven hummed, fiddling with her drink's straw. The two of them got lost in idle chatter as they waited for their food. They talked about nothing important, just silly things to pass the time. But Beast Boy still enjoyed it. He rather enjoyed anytime spent with Raven, really. It probably should have worried him, but he stubbornly ignored his concerns. He liked spending time with her, so what? There was nothing wrong with that.

In fact, he was sort of glad this mission happened. Sure, there was concern about how they'd get along, but so far everything was sailing smoothly. Plus, their worst bickering days were far behind them, so he was allowed to have fun with Raven. Right?

Soon enough, their food came out and conversation ceased as they ate. The pancakes were delicious; fluffy buttermilk pancakes with thick maple syrup, his kind of pancake! The hashbrowns were just as delightful; golden brown potato-y goodness with a slight crispiness to it. Beast Boy slathered the greasy treat in ketchup and tucked in, moaning exaggeratedly at the explosion of flavor dancing in his mouth.

"I take it you're enjoying it?" Raven asked dryly. Beast Boy beamed at her and nodded as he gulped down a drink of water.

"It's _amazing_ ," he sighed. "How's your salad-thingy?"

"Pleasant."

The shapeshifter raised a brow. "Pleasant? C'mon, Rave, it's either awesome or shitty."

Raven snorted. "I can believe a salad to be enjoyable without thinking it's to die for," she quipped, daintily taking another bite. "Life doesn't exist on only two extremes, you know."

"But where's the fun in something only being okay?"

Raven rolled her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. "Without the middle, I don't think the awesome things would be quite as enjoyable. After all, what can you judge something on without a middle ground?"

At this, Beast Boy had to pause. She had a point. How could he tell what was awesome without things that were just okay? He drew his face into a pout, shovelling more pancakes into his mouth. This was one of the reasons he loved hanging out with Raven, though he'd never tell her that.

It wasn't long before they both finished and were paying up front. Beast Boy felt somewhat lame for not paying, but their money was combined into the Titan's fund, which Raven was given charge over. So he stood behind her as she payed, rocking back on his feet and looking about idly. It was then that the billboard behind Nancy caught his attention.

There were all sorts of advertisements tacked onto the billboard. Events being hosted downtown, to sales going on at small businesses, to even flyers for plays or games going on at some of the local schools. But one flyer in particular caught Beast Boy's attention. It was a simple thing; just a regular old white computer paper typed on with a simple font. But the message on the flyer was a bit odd.

 **Do you wish to learn the truth and conquer the world?**

 **So do we. Come visit us tomorrow night at the local community center on** **Sycamore Blvd.**

 **where we'll talk all about how _you_ can help us do the unimaginable. **

At the bottom was an address and a phone number, but there was no organization name listed anywhere on the sheet. Which, compared to the other flyers, was odd. Extremely so. Beast Boy's eyes narrowed at the sheet, and he resisted the urge to lean across the counter and tear it off the bulletin board.

"There's a lot of fun things to do in the city," Nancy nodding at the board behind her. "My personal favorite's the rollerblading downtown."

Beast Boy nodded politely. She must have seen him staring at it. Oops. "Sounds fun," he murmured with a small grin.

"Oh, it is! My hubby and I went last weekend, it makes for a fun date night!" She not-so-discreetly winked, making Beast Boy's face burn.

"Thanks," Raven said, "but we're not dating." She snagged Beast Boy by the arm and practically dragged him out, her actions only making him blush more. Once free of the diner, Raven freed his arm, and he rubbed it awkwardly. He opened his mouth to speak, when Raven beat him to the punch.

"I assume you saw the flyer too?"

"The one about conquering the world?"

Raven nodded. "I think we should look into it."

"I was thinking the same thing; it seems suspicious."

"It's settled then," Raven said. "Tomorrow, we learn how to conquer the world."

 **~#~#~#~**

Beast Boy fiddled with his holoring. It was a habit he'd taken too pretty much immediately upon wearing it, as it was somewhat relaxing to twirl the piece of metal around his finger. Of course, he had to be careful not to pop it off, lest his disguise be broken. But Beast Boy made sure the circular piece of metal stayed firmly on his finger, the only disturbance to it being his careful twirling.

He shifted in place, brushing slightly against Raven's cloak.

The two were stationed outside of the location depicted on the flyer they had found yesterday. It was a small community center located in the center of one of the many suburbs that sprawled out a few miles away from the main city. The suburb itself was decent; the houses weren't too fancy by any means, but not too low quality either. It was a simple, plain brick building with a few well trimmed shrubs around it. Periodically, a person or two would walk in, but they had no idea how many people were already there.

Not yet, anyway.

Beside him, Raven was meditating, attempting to discern the number of different auras present. It was apparently a tedious task, as she'd been sitting still beside him for the past twenty minutes, but Beast Boy knew she was being as thorough as she could be. Still, the waiting sucked.

Beast Boy rocked back onto his heels and sighed. Even of they _could_ discern the number of people in the building, that wouldn't really tell them much. No, they'd have to eavesdrop somehow. And that somehow most likely involved him being the fly on a wall.

Literally.

"There's about twenty or so people inside," Raven said, her voice a harsh whisper beside him. "About half men, half women."

Beast Boy nodded. "Okay, cool. Any idea who we're dealing with?"

The empath beside him shook her head, though it wasn't much of a surprise. "From what I can tell, I have never met any of them before," she said stoically. Beast Boy sighed. He had known this was the most likely case. Still, having some sort of recognition would have made things a bit easier. But as it stood, this situation was a wildcard, with no promise in how it would play out.

Not that it was a bad thing. Beast Boy liked being on the edge of his seat, after all. But that meant they had to tread carefully, stretching out the mission far longer than it could have been.

"Well, great. I guess I get to be a fly, then."

Raven shot him a mildly amused expression. "I could do the eavesdropping, if you'd prefer."

Beast Boy quirked a brow. "How? By possessing someone? C'mon, Rae, we need to be discreet, remember?"

"I do not have to _possess_ someone to eavesdrop," she deadpanned. "I can simply enter their minds. Against their will, of course. But it can be done." Despite her even tone, there was a flavor of distaste hidden in the dissonance of her syllables, one Beast Boy could only barely detect. He himself winced at the thought, knowing full well how easily she could perform such a feat.

Luckily, he knew how vehemently she was against such actions, especially after the famed Malchoir incident. "No, I can do it," he said. "Just hold these for me." He carefully slid off the rings, biting back a relieved sigh as his clover green skin reappeared like magic. Beast Boy carefully placed the rings in Raven's waiting hand, before melting down to the size and shape of a common house fly.

With a flutter of his wings, he was off, heading towards the direction of the community center.

Beast Boy liked being a fly. There was just something so...different about it. The compound eyes created a wild and interesting kaleidoscope around him, and the lightweight body made him feel effortless. The delicate hairs on his legs and abdomen made touch ever more per-tenant, and of course, he loved the whole regurgitate-and-eat method of eating food.

Plus, being a fly made spying so much easier. It was harder to notice a fly, after all. Let alone a green one.

Beast Boy fluttered to the window, buzzing around to find an opening. Nope, not here. He flitted from window to window, searching for an opening. Finally, the boy-now-fly buzzed to the door, which just so happened to swing open right then and there, giving Beast Boy access.

And just like that, he was in.

The little green fly buzzed through the mini foyer, following the wandering stream of people into the main meeting area. It was designed as a sort of common space, with a bar-counter-thing in the back close to a kitchenette, and a collection of tables and chairs scattered about on the main floor. In the front of the space, was a large podium, with a few stray chairs set off to the sides.

Beast Boy buzzed to the back wall, crawling around on the crisply painted surface. He watched with his wonderfully faceted vision as people wandered to the counter, where refreshments were being dolled out, before settling down at tables. He watched them closely. Some of the people congregated together, chatting lively about anything and everything. Others, remained reserved, staying off to the side or even by themselves. These semi-loners seemed to glance about nervously every-so-often, as though they were unsure of what to expect. Newbies, Beast Boy predicted.

It wasn't long before someone floated to the front, commanding attention from the podium. It was a man. He appeared to be in his late twenties, from what fly-Beast Boy could tell. They guy wasn't doing too bad in the looks department either, Beast Boy had to admit. He was a well built guy, with the perfectly chiselled face that the media was always harping about.

Not that Beast Boy cared. He was green, anyway. It was a bit hard to meet standards while being _green_.

There was something...unsettling about the man though. Right off the bat, Beast Boy's instincts started going haywire, begging him to run, telling him the guy was bad news, and they needed to _go_. He remained in place, of course.

"Brothers, sisters, new friends," the guy said, his velvety voice lining the room. It quieted almost immediately, everyone's rapt attention focused on the man. He grinned, his curved smile making Beast Boy flutter his wings uncomfortably.

"We are all here today to answer a question, a question we've all asked. What is truth? Or, what is true power?" he paused, his words echoing in the space. His face was drawn in a contemplative expression, and Beast Boy watched in anticipation.

"My name, is Jesse, and tonight, I will answer these questions."

The night continued on, and Beast Boy watched what unfolded in an almost sick fascination. There was no doubt these people were being sucked into a cult, it was basic cult-groups one-o-one. Jesse called up numerous people to the stand to share their stories of how this group helped them conquer things within their own life, there was an hour where they broke into discussion groups, talking about how religion was a farce and that the great evil of the universe was the only true power, and of course, Jesse proclaimed how he planned on leading them to unlocking this ultimate power.

They just had to pledge their undying loyalty.

At this point, Beast Boy had heard enough. He wasn't sure if they were _the_ cult, but how many cults could there be in Seattle? Either way, they'd gotten enough intel today. And so, Beast Boy buzzed towards the door, hopeful that he could slip out unnoticed.

Of course, the door was closed. Beast Boy flapped his wings irritably. He very well couldn't shift into his human form; that went against the whole 'incognito' part of the mission. A mouse would probably be a bad idea too, if past experience was any indication.

After a moment's contemplation, he quickly fluttered to the ground and grew into a cockroach. Now protected with a tougher exoskeleton, Beast Boy confidently squeezed through the gap at the bottom of the door and out into the fresh air. He scuttled towards the shrub where Raven was hiding and reclaimed his human appearance.

"So?"

Beast Boy grinned grimly. "I think we've hit our jackpot." His gaze lingered on the empath, admiring the small smile that danced on her lips. If only he could get that smile to stay... He looked away, embarrassed, his gaze dropping to the pile of clothes he'd left behind.

Thank goodness he'd worn his suit today, or that would have been _very_ embarrassing.

"Here, put these on before we go." Raven's hand entered his line of sight, opening to reveal the two holorings cradled within her palm. With a sigh, Beast Boy plucked them free and slipped them back on, wincing as his familiar skin-tone vanished once again. He reached for his shirt and pants, tugging them back on over his superhero getup.

"We'll have to send Rob a report once we get outta here," he said. Before he could receive a reply, however, the sound of voices carried to their bush.

The meeting was over.

"Let's go," Raven murmured, black magic crackling at her fingertips. Beast Boy nodded, tugging absently at the rings on his fingers, only for absolute horror to wash over him as the ring popped off and leaped from his fingers, landing to rest into the grass. The hologram that disguised him flickered, and Beast Boy squeaked and he dropped to search for the ring.

"Shit!" he spat, as he ran his hands through the grass. Raven lurched towards him, her anger clouding the air and clogging his nostrils.

"Are you serious?" she hissed. Beast Boy shot her a glare.

"Sorry!" he quipped. "It was an accident!"

"Accident or not, you're going to get us discovered!"

The two fell silent as they frantically raked the ground, searching desperately for the ring.

"I'm glad you came."

Beast Boy and Raven froze as a pair of voices drifted closer.

"Oh, of course! You were right, this was good for me!"

Two people were fast approaching. If they were discovered... Beast Boy resumed his frantic searching, muttering curses under his breath. _Dammit, dammit, dammit!_ he thought. _Of all the times to lose the damn thing._ By some miracle, his finger brushed against metal, and he scrambled to put the thing back on. Relief washed over him as his disguise once again remained steady, and he nearly cried at the sight.

"Well good. You're an independent woman, a powerful one, at that."

Beast Boy bit down on his lip, hard. _Shit!_ The voices were almost upon them, they had to do something, lest they be discovered. Beast Boy locked gazes with Raven, a stupid, desperate plan spilling across his mind. It was the only way, really. There wasn't much time to think, and definitely no time to escape. So Beast Boy did what he did best; he improvised.

Pouncing like a cat, he lurched forward and snagged fistfuls of her jacket, yanking her close. He then proceeded to do the utterly unthinkable; he kissed her.

He kissed Raven.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Whew. Sorry for the wait you guys, I have been crazy busy! College is rough, no joke. That's really what's been keeping this from being sooner; college and work. 'Cuz you know, gotta pay the bills.**

 **Anyway, thanks for the patience and I hope y'all enjoy!**

 **-vixensheart**


	4. Four

**Four**

It had been twenty-four hours and fifty-two minutes since Beast Boy had kissed Raven; not that he was keeping track.

Twenty-four hours, and not once had she said a word to him. Beast Boy didn't know what that meant. Should he be worried? Or not? Was she just…busy? With what? From what he could tell, there was nothing to be busy with, aside from avoiding him. Which she was doing pretty well at this rate.

Beast Boy hated this. It was like he was in his own personal hell, except he didn't know why. It wasn't like he _liked_ her, right?

Oh, who was he kidding? Of course he liked her. He liked her a lot, and the imposed silence was starting to kill him. Beast Boy knew he had a habit of overstepping boundaries, and he was really starting to worry he'd overstepped a bit too far this time around.

Raven liked her space. She liked things around her to maintain a familiar atmosphere; change didn't bode well with her. It never did. She didn't like his poking and prodding, and she most certainly didn't like his…impulsiveness. He had a tendency to irritate her, which in turn aggravated her powers and caused things to explode. They were a mess, together, and he certainly made the most muck in their relationship.

How could she like him?

Beast Boy glared at the ant-like people below him. Stupid people and their stupid, mindless lives. He was really jealous of their simple monotony at this time; how they could just live in their own bubbles devoid of destiny and fate and falling in love with demonesses.

Stupid people.

The shadows caught Beast Boy's attention, and he sighed. It was getting late; time to meet up with Raven. The two of them had split that morning to cover some ground and investigate more leads that Robin had scrounged up. Because despite the solid lead he and Raven had discovered, Robin wanted to be _sure_ they were barking up the right tree.

Or something like that.

Beast Boy stepped to the edge of the skyscraper he stood on, feeling the wind whip at his hair and face. He wasn't wearing the rings at the moment, as he'd shapeshifted to get up here. No, the rings were safely in the pocket of his specially made jumpsuit. There was a lot of science and maybe even a little magic that went into making the stupid thing. Mento never really divulged the information. Not that Beast Boy cared. It worked, what more did he need to know?

The shapeshifter closed his eyes and leaned forward, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he dropped. He outstretched his arms, smiling with glee as the busy streets below reared up at him.

Halfway through his free-fall, he morphed, his bones and muscles snapping and popping as his arms turned to wings and feathers sprouted across his body. He caught an updraft and shot upward, his free-fall coming to an abrupt halt. Beast Boy cawed, winging off towards the pre-planned meeting point for him and Raven.

Beast Boy's mind wandered to Raven.

And the kiss.

Beast Boy cursed. Or cawed, really. But in his mind it was a curse, so that counted for something, right?

The kiss haunted him, burned in his memory. His lips on hers, her body pressed up against his. The chill of the night kissing at his skin. The footsteps closing in on them; the danger of being discovered mounting with each step. His heartbeat roaring in his ears. The way Raven just…clung to him.

There were many things in life Beast Boy could never have fathomed happening to him until they did. Like developing shapeshifting powers. Or losing his parents. Or becoming a superhero!

Working with Robin, _the_ Robin.

Starting the Teen Titans.

Saving the world. Numerous times.

 _Kissing Raven._

But he did it. He kissed her, there, in the shrub. In a bout of desperation, guided by a stupid, half-assed plan, he snagged her cloak and yanked her forward, planting his lips on hers. At first, Raven had hesitated, turning as stiff as a board.

Beast Boy panicked, then. The footsteps were like thunder, booming louder and louder as they drew closer. Beast Boy's heart pounded wildly against his chest, and he knew that whatever happened, he had to get her to play along.

So he kissed her harder. And she kissed him back.

His trembling hands tangled into her wig, and he could feel her eyelashes brush against his cheek and her shaking, delicate hands grip at his shirt. Her mouth tasted like herbs and honey, both bitter and sweet.

From that moment on, he was addicted. Just thinking about it made him shiver, as if from withdrawals.

The moment didn't last forever though. The footsteps boomed and boomed until they stopped entirely, and Beast Boy could hear a small but audible gasp. He somehow managed the strength to break the kiss and peek up.

There, towering over the bush, was a couple. The woman Beast Boy didn't recognize, but the man, he did. Goosebumps broke out all over his skin, and Beast Boy shivered.

"Ignore them, Marie," Jesse quipped. "It's just a couple of kids. He guided the woman, presumably Marie, away from the shrub, his cold stare searing into Beast Boy's very soul. He gulped, gripping Raven tightly. She seemed to not notice, and when Beast Boy risked a glance at her, she had a very faraway look in her eyes.

"I know," whispered Marie, "but still. It's very improper."

Well, whispering might have been an understatement. To Beast Boy, she was sort of whisper-screaming. Like, her whisper was not actually a whisper. A lot of people did that, and he always found it rather irritating.

"Hmm," Jesse said. "Perhaps." He said nothing else, and the footsteps faded as the two walked away. Beast Boy felt himself relax as the steps faded, and he couldn't help the giddy grin that spread across his features.

"Well, that was close. Huh, Rae?"

She didn't answer. Beast Boy furrowed his brows and shot her a curious glance, noting with growing concern how much paler she seemed than normal. Beast Boy gently nudged her, biting him lip. "Uh, Rae?"

Raven blinked and seemed to shake herself. "Oh, yes. Very close." She pried herself free of him and stood as though in a trance. The empath stared blankly where Jesse and Marie had disappeared, before picking her way out of the shrub without another word. Beast Boy scrambled onto his feet to follow, only to trip and flounder into the thicket of the shrubbery. He barked out a few choice words, crawling out on his hands and knees, when his fingers brushed against something smooth. He plucked the item off the ground, bringing it up and peering at it closely.

It was a business card. There was only one thing printed on it;

 **Do you wish to learn the truth and conquer the world?**

 **Visit us at the local community center, located on Sycamore Blvd.**

Chills broke out on his skin once more, and Beast Boy shook his head and shoved the card into his pocket, before scrambling after Raven.

The rest of the night had been pretty much the same. He would try to engage her in conversation, to no avail. Raven merely deflected any of his questions and only grunted or hummed in response to anything else he said. She ended the night by curling up as far on her side of the bed as possible, ignoring him.

The park came into sight, and he banked sharply.

Dread coiled in Beast Boy's gut, and he flapped his wings agitatedly. _Let's just get this over with,_ he thought. He circled until he found a secluded place to land, and proceeded to drift down from the sky. The shapeshifter landed with as much grace as he could muster, allowing his body to resume his human shape. Beast Boy rolled his head, wincing as his neck cracked. "I've really gotta stretch before shifting," he muttered. His muscles throbbed angrily in response.

Typically, Beast Boy had to do some form of stretches before excessive amounts of shapeshifting. This was mostly because shifting a lot hurt, and stretching eased the pains, much like with running, lifting, and many other forms of exercise. Beast Boy supposed he didn't _need_ to stretch, it just helped save him hours of soreness or even agony after a rough day.

Luckily today wasn't one of those days.

Beast Boy settled onto the ground, staring lazily up into the foliage above. His ears picked up all the little nuanced sounds around him; the birds in the trees, the breeze rattling the leaves, the distant chatter of civilians, and even the odd bark of a dog. A sudden chill made him shiver, and he dropped his gaze to a dark spot on the ground that quickly took the shape of Raven.

She stood in a somewhat defensive manner, with her shoulders curved forward and her arms crossed beneath the folds of her cloak. Her expression, however, was ever impassive, though Beast Boy could detect a hint of tension working at her jaw.

"There you are," Beast Boy said. "I was about to send a search party." His joke fell flat, as Raven's only response was to twitch her eyebrows. Beast Boy scowled then, crossing his arms. "What's with you?" he snapped. Raven blinked, surprise crossing her features.

"Hmm?"

"Don't 'hmm' me!" He scrambled to his feet, jabbing a finger at her. "You've been acting all cold and distant ever since...ever since that stupid kiss!" Beast Boy sucked in a breath of air, his shoulders slumping miserably. "Did...did I mess up again? I know you're all worried about your powers, but seriously, Rae! If I did something wrong, just fucking tell me!" His words echoed in his ears, and Beast Boy realized that he'd been shouting. He gulped, chomping down on his lip and meeting Raven's shocked stare.

"Beast Boy..." She trailed off, reaching her hands out of her cloak and lowering her hood. "I'm sorry."

Her forward apology caught Beast Boy off-guard, and he blinked in surprise.

"I didn't mean to make you feel like that," Raven said, her voice quiet and soft.

"Well, you did." He knew his snarky remark was probably uncalled for, but the amount of swirling emotions clouding his senses were enough to dull that realization. Instead, he gave a surprised Raven an irritated glare, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Mind telling me what's going on, then?"

The empath bit her lip and sighed. "I was getting to that, thank you." She fiddled delicately with her fingers, looking anywhere but him. Beast Boy watched as Raven reached up and plucked her ear piece from her ear, and flipped the switch, effectively turning it off. He furrowed his brows in confusion, staring in utter bafflement as she indicated for him to do the same.

"Uh, Rae? I don't think-" He was cut off by a tendril of black magic, which slapped across his face like a strip of duct tape. Beast Boy watched, wide-eyed, as Raven lifted a finger to shush him, and stepped close to remove his ear piece. His breath hitched at their close proximity, and he could feel his face burning.

 _Damn feelings making me lose my damn mind,_ he thought. Beast Boy stood rigid as her fingers brushed against his ear, doing his best to suppress a shiver. He was frozen as she turned off the gadget, pocketing it along with hers before finally stepping away.

"Okay, we should be fine."

"Raven, what the _hell_ is going on?" Beast Boy blurted. He blinked in surprise of his own outburst, biting into his lip again hard. "S-sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's okay." Raven toyed with the fabric of her cloak, her voice so soft, a normal human probably wouldn't have heard her. Hell, _Beast Boy_ barely heard her! He said nothing though, waiting for her to speak.

"I know who Jesse is." She paused for a beat, seemingly considering her own words. "Or, at least, I have an idea."

"What do you mean?"

Raven sighed, hugging herself tightly. There was a moment where she looked...scared. It passed as quickly as it happened, but Beast Boy noticed nonetheless. He almost stepped towards her, the desire to wrap his arms around her and protect her from everything and anything coursing through him. It was silly, of course, Raven could handle herself. Plus, it was a little terrifying how intense some of his current emotions were.

"I think he's a demon."

Beast Boy opened his mouth to say something, only to snap it shut. A demon? Was she serious? One look at her stoic expression confirmed such notions, and Beast Boy rubbed at his temples. "What, are you going to tell me that Trigon sent him or something?"

"I don't know." She sighed, a faraway look dancing in her eyes. "When we were in the bush, I could sense something...dark. It felt as though he was trying to get into my head." Raven paused, a distasteful expression crossing her features. "He didn't, of course. But that only confirmed my suspicions. Robin, of course, isn't so sure."

Uh oh. Beast Boy furrowed his brows, doing his best to process what she meant. "You wanna go after him?"

"He must be stopped," Raven said, her voice stoic. "Especially if Trigon is involved."

"So why no earpieces?"

The empath quirked a brow at him. Beast Boy blinked, realization dawning upon him. "Oh, right. We're only spying."

"And when I suggested otherwise to Boy Blunder, he nearly had a conniption."

Beast Boy snickered, picturing their red-faced leader tearing at his hair. Yep, that was Robin, alright. Always with his pants on too tight. His grin faded, and the seriousness of the situation kicked in. Raven wanted to go against orders. Not just Robin's orders, but the orders of the League. All on a hunch that this guy was super evil. A damn good hunch, sure, but a hunch all the same. And it seemed as though she was inviting him to join her.

"So, when do we start?"

Raven's expression was priceless. She gaped at him in shock, as though unable to believe he'd really help her. Beast Boy flashed her a cheeky grin, unable to contain his pride.

"What, you think I'd let you go after a demon on your own?"

Her mouth snapped shut, and she shot him a glare. "I'm merely _surprised_ at your enthusiasm. I thought you'd at least try to see about changing our orders or something."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Dude, we both know that ain't gonna happen. Besides, we're supposed to stick together, and if you're gonna track Jesse down, then I have no other choice." He couldn't help but feel giddy at the small smile that crept onto Raven's features.

"I suppose you're right, Garfield."

Tingles shot up and down his spine at the sound of his name rolling off her tongue. He hated that name, but damn, if it sounded like _that_ when she said it...

"Come on. We've got some planning to do." Raven left no time for his whirlwind of thoughts, her cloak flaring out behind her as she whipped around and stalked off. Beast Boy shook himself and stumbled after her, a sense of foreboding tingling within him.

 **~#~#~#~**

Beast Boy flitted from branch to branch, ruffling his feathers agitatedly.

After much deliberation the night prior, a plan of action had been decided upon; they were going into the adder's den. It was unavoidable, of course. If they were going to put a stop to whatever Jesse was planning, they had to interact with him directly. Figure out what his motives were, yadda, yadda. It was the ever basic tactic; pretend to be some lost kids who want 'answers', and get indoctrinated into the cult. From there, they'd be able to learn what was going on and stop it.

Easy peasy.

In theory, anyway.

Beast Boy twittered back and forth with the other birds, adding his song to the morning air. It was relaxing, really, singing with the birds. Of course, in this state, he could actually comprehend the messages behind the songs; desires for mates, shouting matches about territory, warnings of predators, and other things of the like. Still, Beast Boy enjoyed interacting with nature. It was a part of him, after all.

"Having fun?"

Beast Boy cocked his head and glanced down, Raven's bemused expression meeting his gaze. He twittered back at her. _"Hell yeah, I am!"_ Of course, Raven didn't understand. She didn't speak bird like he did. That never really stopped him from talking back; the Titans had no idea how often he chatted at them in animal tongue. It was his own personal inside joke, sort of like Starfire's occasional slip into Tamaranean.

Beast Boy launched himself from the branch and fluttered down to the ground, allowing his muscles and bones to reshape mid-flight. His feet hit the ground with a _thump_ and he shot Raven a cheeky grin. "Mornin', Rae."

Raven raised a brow. "It's twelve in the afternoon."

"So? It's morning to me." It was true. For once, he'd gotten the chance to sleep in, thanks to Raven disposing of their earpieces. And boy, did he take it. It was refreshing to sleep until the sun was high overhead, without Robin yammering for him to get up and at it. Just his pillow, the blankets, and undisturbed bliss. Of course, Raven had been gone when he awoke, presumably meditating. Or something.

"We should run through the plan again."

Beast Boy's smile dropped and he sighed. "Again?"

"We need to make sure we know exactly what we're doing," she said.

"Yeah, yeah," Beast Boy muttered, "I know." Truth be told, they'd gone over it so much that Beast Boy was pretty sure he had dreams of it last night. But he could sense Raven's apprehension, and knew she'd feel a little better if they went through their plan one last time. So, he leaned against the tree and slid to the ground, getting comfortable. He looked up expectantly at Raven, who fidgeted with her cloak nervously.

"My name, is Rachael Roth. I'm a runaway whose had some rough times. I'm tired of being looked down upon for not finishing school and want the answers for a better life." She paused, meeting his gaze. "And you are?"

"Liam Smith. If anyone asks, my dad's a dick who's a bit free with the backhand." He scrunched his face up in distaste before continuing. "I made friends with you at a club, and told you about this meeting, which I saw a flyer for in a diner."

Raven nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. Make sure you-"

"Don't use my real name, I know." He sighed, smiling softly at the empath. "Everything's gonna be fine, Rae. I promise."

She nodded, though Beast Boy sensed she wasn't convinced. Unfortunately, there was nothing more he could say. Instead, he patted the ground next to him. "Why doncha sit for a bit? I can tell you what the birds are saying."

Raven furrowed her brows, snorting. "Really, now?" She came and settled on the grass, leaving a respectable distance between them. "And what would that be?"

Beast Boy fell silent. He listened to the songs and chatter bouncing from the treetops, snickering. "Well, there's a pair of robins over there singing love songs. The females aren't very impressed though." This earned him a soft chuckle, only egging him on.

"That warbler across from us is mad that someone ate from his berry bush. So hes screaming threats to any birds that come close."

"What kind of threats?"

He jutted his bottom lip out, tilting his head as he listened. "Well, he's saying stuff like; 'I'll peck a hole into the next bird's skull that eats my berries!'"

Raven laughed. It was a wonderful sound, music to his ears. Beast Boy found himself grinning so much it hurt. It was probably no secret that he loved her laugh. It was husky and low, like an old copper bell ringing in a church tower. It was one of many reasons he strove to make her laugh. That, and to make her just a little bit happier.

She deserved it after all; happiness. And Beast Boy was determined to give it to her.

It had been his mission almost since the day they first met. Beast Boy could sense a great sadness within her, a sadness much like his own. That was what had first prompted the crudely hashed mission. Ever since his own misfortunes, he'd always made it a point to help ease other people's suffering, lest he spared them of the horrors he went through as a child. Raven had been no exception.

Then they became friends, and her happiness became more important to him. Beast Boy was incredibly loyal; it was probably a side effect of his animalistic nature brought on by his powers. So he cared fiercely for those he considered friends, and was always concerned with their well being. The process of falling in love with said friend was only exasperating these concerns.

Beast Boy flushed at the thought. _Falling in love? Was that what this is?_ He didn't have much time to consider it, for Raven's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What's that bird saying?" She pointed at a cardinal, pecking at something on the ground. Beast Boy squinted, focusing on the red bird.

"Well, he's grumbling about losing a squabble with another dude. I guess he missed out on a lady, if you know what I mean."

Raven snorted. "Wow. Is that all they think about?"

"Pretty much," Beast Boy said. "Mates. Territory. Food. That's life for most critters."

She hummed, and they both fell silent. There were times when Beast Boy wished he could shed his responsibilities and respond to the call to the wild that coursed within him. He certainly wouldn't mind spending his days as a wolf or a fish, not having to worry about civilians and destroyed cities or losing his teammates. It would just be him and nature, one in one, forever existing in a peaceful harmony. Or, as peaceful as nature could be, anyway. But the warmth of Raven's companionship and the casual brush of their shoulders reminded him of why he stayed.

He'd miss people. Especially his friends.

 _Especially Raven._

His face grew hot. This was definitely a bad time to develop feelings for someone. Especially given that in a few short hours, they were about to infiltrate a known cult in hopes of uncovering and stopping a demon, of all things. But he couldn't help it; his gaze lingered on her profile, and how her features softened as her lips curved in a gentle smile. A demoness she may have been, but her beauty far surpassed any depictions of angels Beast Boy had ever encountered. And with each passing day, his feelings grew.

Raven stood, her cloak rustling. "We should get going," she said. ""It'll be dusk soon."

Beast Boy nodded, climbing to his feet. His heart hammered in his chest, though whether it was from the soft glance she gave him, or the impending suicide mission, he knew not. Still, Beast Boy followed behind the empath, bracing himself for what was to come.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **At long last-the next part. I know this has taken awhile, and for that I apologize. Unfortunately, life got a bit in the way. It didn't help that I was having trouble piece this chapter together properly. But, here it is! Hopefully, it isn't too dull, lol.**

 **Thanks for the support, as always. :)**

 **-vixensheart**


End file.
